I should have just stayed in bed this year...

Things continue to be a little crazy in my world.  2012 just doesn’t seem to be off to a real great start but I sure hope that’s changing soon! I seem to break most things I touch the last few weeks. From my stove to my car. On the positive side, while still far from close to coming home, mom has had a couple of pretty good days so the more we can string together the better off we will be.

As for week 1 of 70.3 training. Well I wouldn’t say I nailed it but I do feel like I’m back in the routine of training each day. I only missed one day last week, what I didn’t do was get some of the two a days in. So I managed 2 swims – 3 runs and one bike. This week we will work on doubling up a couple of times.

Diet, that too was much improved last week. Not perfect by any means but there was some control there. I actually decided to try to incorporate  some vegetarian days into my diet. I’m not sure why other than that truly I don’t really eat that much meat as it is. I am not ready, and may never be ready to commit to being a vegetarian, I really do like a good hamburger once in awhile, but I thought it would be interesting to see if I miss it. I really didn’t. I went 4 days with no meat and the other 3 I ate at least a little meat. When my older son Josh heard this he threatened to move out if I became a vegetarian....a little bit of an idle threat... especially when he leaves for the Marines in June. I’m going to continue to try for at least 4 meatless days a week. And along that lines I have a really good couscous salad recipe that I made and will try to post later this week, the meat lover son even liked it.

Training for ½ marathon that is coming up on the 15^th of April, that’s right... 3 weeks from yesterday...that has not improved much. I managed to make it 6 miles yesterday. They are 6 of the slowest miles I’ve done in.....well a long time. This has the very real potential of being a personal worst, and my worst was already pretty bad. My first ½ was right at 3 hours, yes I’m slow. I had high hopes of being able to get under 2:30 at this one, I was close last year and prior to the ending of my training mid February I was on track to break 2:30 but those 4 weeks with no running have just left me with what seems like no fitness at all.I'll just keep plugging away and even if I have to walk the whole thing I will be out there doing that 1/2. 

Focus....

There has been no focus in my life recently. And really there is no reason for not getting back in control of my eating and exercise. It has been bad for the last month. Now it is going to stop. I am going to find my focus...maybe that 1/2 marathon in 4 weeks. That Century in 11 weeks or that 70.3 in 20 weeks. 

Today starts my 20 week 70.3 plan.

If it's important to you, you'll find a way. If not...you'll find an excuse.

Thursday Three – Things could be better...but things could be much worse.

1. First off thanks to all for you concern about my Mom. It is turning out to be a very long road. At the end of last week things were going great but then on Sunday Mom started feeling really bad. On Tuesday they decided that she had something called C. Diff which is caused when the antibiotics kill not only the bad bacteria but the good. She was feeling very bad for a few days and while she is starting to feel a little better she obviously has not made progress in the strength department. She had been getting up and walking some with the walker but that came to an hault. She also ended up on oxygen and IV’s again. Hopefully she will soon feel strong enough to start walking and exercising again. Good news is that the pneumonia that she went in for is all cleared up. Tomorrow will start week 5 of the hospital adventure. And week 6ish since the left Colorado. Keeping my fingers crossed that they will be able to come home soon!



2. Motivation.....lacking. I’ve gotten some workouts in, but not near what I should. Running is just killing me. I was doing pretty darn good on training for the ½ marathon I have coming up in just about a month, but all that went out the window with being out of town and this darn cold. I’ve been out to run a few times but it feels so hard. My heart rate is much higher than it was, my lungs are not yet clear and my calves especially are very tight. Although I occasionally have this little “thing” in my butt too. It’s not the same place as when I was problems before so I don’t know if it is the same thing or not. Most of the time I don’t even notice it, but occasionally it likes to speak to me.



3. Monday will be 20 weeks until Boulder 70.3. I need to pick a plan and get started. I’m thinking I may just go with the one I used last year from Beginner Triathlete. Overall I thought it was pretty good last year and it’s nice that you can import it to your log and see it all laid out. Maybe this will help with my motivation. Do you have a favorite plan that you use?



Keeping a positive attitude....

Wordy Wednesday...

Well it's been awhile...and it seems like longer than it's been. The last 3 weeks have been a little crazy..well maybe crazy isn't the best word to describe it. One word that wouldn't describe it is "training"  I went from the longest streak of exercise in a long time to the longest streak of no exercise all in the same month. I'll try to keep this story less then novel length.

As many of you know my boys and I were headed to Cancun on vacation. My parents were going on a 3 week vacation leaving Denver and driving to Florida were they would catch a flight to meet us before heading back to Florida and going to the Daytona 500. Wednesday my Mom started feeling bad and thought she had the flu, by Friday as we were headed to the airport I talked with my dad and they were headed to the emergency room. They had canceled their trip as they were due to fly out that day also. This put a bit of a damper on things but we went and kept in touch with my dad. Things seemed to be getting a little better and then on Monday night/Tuesday morning all hell broke lose and mom ended up sedated and on a ventilator. Needless to say my Dad was scared and worried and all alone in a strange town. I was freaked out and in a strange country. I called an aunt and had her find us a flight to Ft. Lauderdale as soon as possible. As luck would have it there was a flight out around noon getting us there by 4ish. We arrived at the hospital to find that things were about the same. After sitting with mom for awhile we had the task of finding a place to stay and getting a flight out for my boys the next day so they could get back to Denver. Over the next week Dad and I worried, and trusted in the Doctors that told us she was getting stronger and more stable while on the ventilator. Then finally came the day to try to wean her off of it. The first try was unsuccessful, but as they brought her out of sedation we finally got to see her eyes open and it was such a relief. The next day we were able to get her awake and breathing enough to take her off the ventilator and she continued to become more awake. What a relief when she started talking to us. Even if it was to tell us that race car driver Jimmy Johnson was wandering the halls. :) She continued to get stronger and on Friday 2 weeks after I left home I returned. Mom is doing pretty darn good these days, although she is still very weak, especially her legs after 3 weeks in a bed. She really can't stand yet so there is some work to be done.  It is still one day at time and we have no idea when they will be able to come home, but we are hoping for sooner rather than later.

So now I am back at work and trying to catch up, and after just 2 workouts I am now fighting a cold. I have not had a cold in I don't know how long. So with a very few exceptions I have done no training for the last 3 weeks. It has come to my attention that I have a 1/2 marathon in 6 weeks and I am very ill prepared. Hopefully this cold will run it's course quickly and I can be running soon.

So that's my story... I will leave you with a few photos from Cancun.

 The view from our room of one of the pools and the beach

 Josh enjoying the hammock

 Zach spent much time in this one reading.

 A little shell searching

 One of two peacocks that wandered the hotel grounds

 The beach one evening. It was so calm where we were and you could walk out really far and still only be chest deep.

 Doing what I did best. Lounging in the sun or shade.

Josh, Me and Zach before dinner one evening.